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#Hijabuppropet: Sweden’s “Hijab Outcry” after Muslim Woman Attacked

Posted on August 24, 2013

After an attack against a Muslim woman in Stockholm that Swedish police are treating as a hate crime, numerous women, children and even a few men are tweeting their support and posting pictures of themselves wearing headscarves.

The attack occurred in the south Stockholm suburb of Farza last Friday. A young pregnant woman wearing a hijab was harassed by an unknown individual who shouted islamophobic and racist slurs at her and pulled at her clothing. The attacker then slammed the woman’s head into a car, causing her to pass out. She was then hospitalized with a concussion. A friend of the woman reported that the victim’s hijab was also ripped off her head during the attack. While police have not yet arrested any suspects, they have collected DNA from the scene and are treating the assault as a hate crime motivated by the victim’s religion and clothing.

The horrific attack has sparked a movement of Swedes donning headscarves in a show of solidarity with the victim and respect for women who wear hijab in Sweden. Foujan Rouzbeh and Nabila Abdul Fattah started the campaign in order to raise awareness about the verbal and physical abuse that Muslim women may face in Sweden for their religious identity. In an editorial in Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, they also called upon political leaders to take measures to better protect Muslims in Sweden from violence. Using the hashtag #hijabuppropet (“hijab outcry”), Swedes of all religious backgrounds tweeted their support: